LONG BLOG

In my eagerness for the next Pokemon games, I couldnít be arsed to play anything that was worth writing about. To make amends, Iíve written up another top five, which isnít really a top five, because Iíll be buggered if I have to put in the effort to actually order them.

This top five in tribute to our beloved David Cage, will be very emotional. This top five is devoted to the games that made me feel the most emotions, or rather, the particular moments in those games that made me feel deeply. They may be games, and they might not have a lot of polygons, but theyíre all evocative. Some are joyful, and others are haunting.

With that said, letís move onto the first in my line upÖ
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5. The Atmosphere of Metroid Fusion

Looking back, it doesnít seem so scary. When I was twelve (or thirteen, whenever it was) however, this game redecorated my underwear. I think it was the first game where I encountered an enemy that you could not fight, but had to run from instead. When the eerily calm music suddenly exploded into a rush, it made me jump each time.

The whole atmosphere of Metroid Fusion was haunting when I first played it. The harrowing music, the set pieces that juxtaposed natural habitats with laboratories, and the sense of loneliness came together to put me a great unease. A split second of the SA-Xís glaring, dead eyes sealed the deal. That image is forever engrained into my memories. Iím not really into horror games, because Iím feckless, spineless coward, so this game is pretty much as creepy as Iíll touch.

Of course, this game wasnít nearly as horrifying as Other M. Eh! Eh!
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4.Golden Sunís Ending

I arrive here once again. Sorry that I have to keep harping on about this game, but this was a seriously beautiful ending. The four heroes stand before an ancient boat thatís been risen from the bottom of a pool of water, and the reminisce about their journey. Thereís also the realisation that Isaac and Garet have reached their personal goal of getting to see the ocean. The scene plays out to the most soothing, enchanting piece of music in the entire soundtrack. The game clearly has a sequel planned at this point, so it was far from over. At the same time, it did feel like something special had come to a close.

The heroes aboard the vessel and set sail the credits music, which is an expanded version of the gameís main theme. The credits roll back on all the locations visited throughout the quest in the form of the battle backdrops. Thereís no amazing spectacle, or plot twist trickery (not until after the credits at least). Itís all rather simple and played straight, which is what I find so nice about it. The ending encapsulates everything I think Golden Sun is. Beautiful, forlorn, and adventurous.
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3.Kerbal Space Program

I said in my impressions of this that it was one of the most engrossing games Iíve played for many years. This is a game which evokes a grand sense of gratification. There are no set missions, but thereís no end of goals you can make for yourself. Whether it was getting a ship into orbit, or putting a rover on the Mun and beyond, there were few moments in this game that did not feel spectacular. Watching my attempts fail over and over again made me want to push harder against gravity. Seeing a vessel almost reach orbit, only to burn up was almost heart-wrenching. Even the very act of constructing a rocket felt exhilarating.
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2.Exploring Vvardenfell

In terms of games I keep going back to, Morrowind is the cream of the crop. Itís the champion of my heart. It was the first open world RPG that I played, and the first that opened my eyes to the possibilities that such a game could offer. The greatest pleasure of Bethesdaís games is in the exploration of the landscape. Vvardenfell delivered an alien world, full of ash wastelands, mushroom trees, and blight storms. Often, I was take long detours from my quest to take treks up and down the island.

Today, that experience is enhanced by boat load of graphical improvements (and Iím not just talking about a a few textures either). Iím not going to stand here and say that it looks as good as current generation games. No matter how much the old engine gets tarted up, it will always look aged. Itís like seeing an old banger come back with new parts and a paint job. Itís the most heart-warming thing to me.
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1. Proteus

At first, I was not sure I wanted to put this one down. I really donít endorse most ďartsyĒ games, like Dear Esther. I put them in the same column as cinematic games as something Iím just not interested in.

Proteus is a game I fell for, hook, line, and sinker. Everything about this game was awe-inspiring and beautiful. Whereas other art games go for a sombre tale, Proteus is an explosion of colour and sound. Every step you take alters the music in some way.
The gameís island paradise goes through four seasons, and each is as stunning as the last. At night, I was even frightened by some of the strange events I witnessed. At one point, the starry sky turned a violent red. I donít know what I did to make that happen, but it freaked me out. What happened following that is something Iíll never spoil, but it was the most mystical thing Iíve witnessed in a game.

Itís a game you can only really play once before the magic wears off, but I think itís well worth it. There was not a single moment that did not fill me with wonder.

There you have it; a five long list of pure emotion. I feel much better about this one because the list of potential entries was much shorter than my last top five. If the Cagey one is out there, just know that this one is for you. Naturally, I thank you, the reader, for taking a look. Once again, I want turn this around asking a simple question.

Whatíre your most emotional moments in gaming?

Surrender your senses and post a comment!

And yeah... a lot of images there.

You can also read this on my personal blog.
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(Metroid Fusion images taken from http://metroid.retropixel.net/)

LOOK WHO CAME:

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About Shuudaone of us since 5:34 PM on 03.27.2012

Online I go by the alias of Shuuda. I am currently living North Yorkshire, England. In 2011 I graduated from the University of Hull with a first class degree in Design for Digital Media, where I studied both the creative and theoretical sides of the digital technology and the internet.

As someone who is passionate about about video games than the fantasy genre, I am highly interested in how stories can be told through interactive media. I concern myself with how the genre is portrayed within the medium and its implications. I give it both criticism and praise, but mostly criticism. Writing fiction has been my hobby for many years, and I feel that video games have influenced and inspired the content of my work in recent times.